Background

β-Catenin, also known as CTNNB1, is an evolutionarily conserved, multifunctional intracellular protein. β-Catenin was originally identified in cell adherens junctions (AJs) where it functions to bridge the cytoplasmic domain of cadherins to a-catenin and the actin cytoskeleton. Besides its essential role in the AJs, β-catenin is also a key downstream component of the canonical Wnt pathway that plays diverse and critical roles in embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is also involved in the activation of other intracellular messengers such as calcium fluxes, JNK, and SRC kinases. Deregulation of β-catenin activity is associated with multiple diseases including cancers. (PMID: 22617422; 18334222)